A Patrulha Fantasma

Captain Clegg (AKA: Night Creatures) is a Hammer-Major production in Eastman Color, it's directed by Peter Graham Scott with a screenplay written by John Elder. It stars Peter Cushing, Yvonne Romain, Patrick Allen, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper and David Lodge. Music is by Don Banks and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

"The Romney Marshes-Flat And Desolate-Was The Land Of A Proud And-Independent People. Their Shores Faced The Shores Of France-And Many Was The Shipload Of Wine And Brandy Smuggled Across The Sea In Defiance Of The King's Revenue Men. Many Legends Have Come From This Corner Of England-But None So Widely Believed Or Widely Feared-As The Legend Of The Marsh Phantoms-Who Rode The Land On Dark Misty Nights And Struck Fear Into The Hearts Of All Who Crossed Their Paths."

Hammer's film is actually a remake of a little known 1937 film called Doctor Syn that starred George Arliss as the title character and featured Margaret Lockwood in support. For their take on the Captain Clegg/Marsh Phantoms story, Hammer craft a colourful Gothic like mystery/thriller that contains horror elements. It's certainly not overtly horror, something that has undoubtedly threw some horror seekers venturing into the film for the first time. This may explain why to a large extent it remains a largely unknown Hammer picture, which doesn't as yet have a DVD release in the country of its birth! The story is a very good one with smugglers, murders, romantic passions, ghostly apparitions and duplicitous characters. All given an excellent period production design by Bernard Robinson for the interiors, while the exteriors are nicely filmed out of the village of Denham in South Buckinghamshire.

Pigeon Pie, Creepy Scarecrow and the Romney Marsh Phantoms.

Of course none of the period flavourings and narrative intrigue would mean much if the acting wasn't up to scratch. Which on reflection is another reason why this is something of a criminally under seen Hammer picture. For not only does it have Cushing turning in one of his best performances (blending dandy fop with a crafty undercurrent), it also has a cast around him that are fully committed and effective in their roles. Which nicely includes Hammer stalwart Michael Ripper (as Mipps the undertaker) getting a more meatier role than usual. Patrick Allen (Dial M for Murder) is imposing as the officious Captain Collier, Martin Benson (The King and I) is suitably shifty as Rash and David Lodge (The Cockleshell Heroes) adds the muscle presence as Bosun. Standing out is Olly Reed as Harry, wonderfully dominating his scenes, he does a neat line in brooding, while Romain (The Curse of the Werewolf) is the classic Hammer wench type, pretty with a heaving bosom, she induces lusty lustations in Harry and Rash.

There's some plot holes that the alert will not miss, and the big reveal is pretty much sign posted to us at the mid-point. But this is a little cracker that Hammer fans, Cushing fans and fans of period mysteries should definitely seek out. 8/10

i first saw this movie at a special screening at a hammer convention several years ago in London. until that morning i'd never even heard of it.

after watching it, in all it's Technicolor glory (they just don't make films like that anymore)i can't understand why it hasn't been screened in so long. funny, dramatic and a damn good story, classic cinema in it's finest. the wonderfully gifted and ever so slightly chilling peter cushing joins forces with a young and rather dashing oliver Reid to protect a girl, a treasure, a secret past and a pretty lucrative smuggling gig.

While Britains's Hammer film company made their reputation with remakes of the hoary old horror staple potboilers such as their Draculas and their Frankensteins, their true strength was in the creation of relatively small budget genre films that shone with matchless originality and talent. "Captain Clegg" is Hammer Films at their very best.

The story concerns Captain Collier of the English Customs Service arriving in a small seaside town in search of smugglers and of his old arch nemesis, the pirate, Captain Clegg. he soon discovers that things in the village are not as simple as they seem. For a start, there are the "marsh phantoms" which are more than capable of frightening people to death, and then there is evidence of large quantities of illegal rum. The plot thickens as Collier seizes the trail and as the villagers fight back in ways quite unexpected for people familiar with this kind of story. Captain Clegg is a rare blend of horror, suspense and swashbuckling comedy that would not be emulated until 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Legend of the Black Pearl." The plot is full of twists and evil jokes and never lets anything get in the way of what is after all, simply a rollicking good yarn.

The acting is frequently nothing short of breathtaking. Peter Cushing as the Reverend Doctor Blyss is at the top of his very considerable form and delivers an masterful performance. "Doctor Blyss" is a fully rounded and complex antihero character of undeniable magnetism and amazing power. A young and almost unbelievably handsome Oliver Reed delivers an arch and catlike performance that with have viewers rolling in the aisles on one hand and swooning on the other. Michael Ripper delivers what may have been the performance of his career, his character, "Jeremiah Mipps" is worthy of the great Leonard Rossiter at his best.

"Captain Clegg" AKA "Night Creatures" is not a perfect film, but it is one which has found an abiding place in my heart. A true classic, I cannot remember it without smiling.

Well, here's one Hammer movie that was rather difficult to come across! Especially in comparison to the British studio's classic horror, Sci-Fi and psychological thriller efforts, this mixture between historical drama and swashbuckler adventure (don't let the cover image or US title "Night Creatures" mislead you; it's not a horror film) is obscure and little seen. To my recollection it has never even been aired on the BBC, and that's where I personally watched a lot of Hammer horror movies from the sixties and seventies. I wonder why, because "Captain Clegg" is a solid and engaging film with a good script, fine performances and a handful of truly ingenious highlights. The story takes place around the end of the 18th Century in a small English coastal village named Dymchurch, and I must say it's a downright fantastic little place! Not only does the entire village participate in a giant smuggling network, they also have imaginative ways for transporting bootlegged liquor around town and all the villagers collectively help to mess around with an official delegation of soldiers sent by the British Crown to investigate! They even have an utmost brilliant signaling process with scarecrows in place and call upon sinister skeleton horsemen to scare off potential perpetrators! The charismatic leader of Dymchurch is Reverend Blyss, but serving God obviously isn't his primary mission in life. "Captain Clegg" is a fun watch, neatly written by Anthony Hinds and well-directed by the fairly unknown Peter Graham Scott. The cast is top-notch, with glorious roles for Peter Cushing (reliable as always), Oliver Reed (back when he still appeared on film sets in a sober state), Martin Benson (as the town's weakest link) and Michael Ripper (phenomenal as the local undertaker). There aren't many women in the cast, but the beautiful and curvy Yvonne Romain is astonishing enough to represent a whole army of women. Recommended!

One of Hammer's finest films yet unseen for years. It has not been broadcast on British television since 1981 when it was under its American title, Night Creatures. But it's a wonderful little movie. Peter Cushing is on fine form as is the ever-reliable Patrick Allen and Oliver Reed gives a nice performance as an innocent young man (as if!) The irreplaceable Michael Ripper gets a bigger role here than in most of his films and shines too with a nice line in sarcasm. The story is fun and the location filming is very pleasant (actually Denham in Bucks and not Dymchurch at all!) but the thing that lifts this movie to classic status is the electrifying scenes of the Marsh Phantoms, a brilliant realisation of real fear. Remarkably considering that the viewer is aware from the start that they are villagers dressed up, their appearance is incredibly convincing! The opening sequence of scrolling scene setting and narration with a faint glimpse of a skeletal figure on horseback weaving through the background is only a hint of the awesome scenes that follow. After that the film settles down to good historical adventure, lively and funny and only occasionally marred by slapstick, as in the fight in the church. A neglected gem from a more simplistic age.